One theory which is growing momentum, is the plane landed on a small island named Diego Garcia. An American navy base located 4700 km northwest of Australia in the Indian ocean. http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/547244/20140409/mh370-diego-garcia-found-conspiracy-theory-gps.htm#.U4vl23ZqNc4

Cristiano Rinaldo playing for Portugal, one of the highest paid players on the planet, zero points for sportsmanship.

After his side drew with the USA this morning, no handshakes, just walked off with a look on his face that said "why am I here", he couldn't get of the ground quick enough---primma donna extrordinaire.Not a good look to his team mates either, reminded me of the antics of Matthew Richardson with Richmond later in his carreer.

if gallstones is your problem & pain wise in the same vicinity of kidney stones i feel for you mate, the morphine is great when in that pain, apparently it is a similar pain to a woman giving birth, glad i didn't go through that

if gallstones is your problem & pain wise in the same vicinity of kidney stones i feel for you mate, the morphine is great when in that pain, apparently it is a similar pain to a woman giving birth, glad i didn't go through that

redandblack wrote:Australia sending refugees back to their country of persecution.

What have we come to. Germany in the 1930's?

But if the boat sailed from India - Tamil Nadu in fact, they are hardly leaving persecution. Just because they don't like their chances of creating a comfortable lifestyle in India that doesn't make them genuine refugees that are entitled to emigrate to Australia.

This whole case of abused kids in state care is just disgraceful and shows how ridiculous our current child protection system is.

A close connection of mine works for Families SA and she’s said to me that it’s hopeless. These kids literally have no chance.

They are removed from their parents for valid reasons – but then the system breaks down. They are shuffled from pillar to post, through institutions and with foster carers of questionable credentials and abilities, and end up being spat out at 18 years old with no support network and arguably more issues than they would’ve had with their natural parents.

All the while there are hundreds, if not thousands of stable, caring couples out there who can’t have biological children and would’ve adopted them in a heartbeat had the system allowed it.

The worst thing is there are better proven systems currently in operation in other countries. One my connection wishes we could implement here is a system whereby biological parents of a removed child have 12 months to get their act together (with plenty of support). If at the end of that 12 month period they have not improved their situation sufficiently to resume care of the child, then the child is permanently removed and given up for adoption.

How good would that system be for all involved, providing the right checks and balances are in place?

Unfortunately though there is a stain on our past that still looms over all child protection efforts here in Australia. The events of the Stolen Generation mean that no government or child protection agency wants to go near ‘forcible removal’ with a ten foot pole, no matter how justifiable it might be.

While I understand this, I think it’s a real shame, because at the moment there are so many kids suffering through no fault of their own. What hope do they have, being stuck in a system that offers them no love, support, or sense self worth? Or worse, exposes them to horrors we now read about? If any good can come of this terrible situation, I really hope that it motivates some serious change towards something like the above suggestion.

And it's funny how some of my Port supporter friends are intent on making this point too - when we were at the showdown heaps of port supporters got up and left... as you say, every club has the same scenario.